I've finished some initial sample clips and tests with my HD key cam, shot indoors with just natural window light, and outdoors in both cloudy (but bright) and full sun. My first impressions of the video are that the contrast and color saturation on mine is slightly over-stated, but I can correct that during editing. The vinetteing in the corners is there, but it's not too bad fortunately. My focus can use a little tweaking, but overall I'm very happy with the video.

Interestingly, the video bit rate in my 4 sample clips ranged from 7111 to 7605 kbps which is a bit higher than clips the vendors furnished. So, I set my average bit rate at 7400 kbps in AviDemux when I compiled and trimmed the clips rather than the 7000 kbps setting I recommended in my AviDemux Tips and Tricks post. So I'd say to check the average data rate on your native videos before re-encoding them, and set AviDemux accordingly. With Windows, just right click on the icon and select "Properties/Details" to show the data rate.

My next test was to check the 20 minute close-and-continue recording function, which work exactly as advertised, and when the battery ran low the last clip closed properly before the camera shut down. The delay between closing/saving one video and starting the next is one is only 3 seconds!

I then checked the web cam function, which also worked well. The video image is reduced to 640x480 for this function, and the white balance is a little off toward the red side on my monitor compared to other web cams I have, but is not too bad. And the extremely sharp image makes up for it. I have less than 1/2 sec. delay in video motion on my computer.

Finally, I did the dreaded date removal firmware replacement. After I copied the new firmware file to my card, I pushed the ON button and held my breath. After a 4-5 sec. delay, the yellow LED came on I was able to breath again. Success, and it was really an easy update process compared to that needed to remove the date stamp on the old 808 camera.

I'll check out the car charger cord tomorrow and maybe refocus if it's a sunny day.

i notice a strange and repetitive noise in the video, at 0:52 in advance can be listened more clearly,
at 1:47 in advance disappeared apparently

I hadn't noticed that when I compiled the video since I had the sound turned down, plus my hearing at certain frequencies isn't all that hot. But, I turned up the sounds and could hear what you heard.

It sounds like short buzz sounds at about 1 sec. intervals. I thought that might have been something that crept in during the conversion from the native audio to MP3 during the re-encoding, but I could also hear it in the native clip. I have no idea what was causing that. I didn't hear it in the the sunny clip in front of my house... just in the back near the door and inside when downstairs. I have wireless internet and wireless digital phone soures near that area, etc. It might have been some kind of RF interference being picked up by the camera?

I'll shoot some more clips away from the house tomorrow and see if it goes away.

This is exactly what mine was doing before I sent it back to China. Looks like there is no FIFO in their inventory as Dec 17/Jan 6 is pretty late and there have been many who successfully removed the date stamp with earlier cams.

Did you order it from eletoponline, because mine was shipped from Singapore?
So far the seller hasn't contacted me back. Did your seller ask you to send it back or did you just send it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by wayback

Did you try the trick that worked on a lot of #3's? Remove the SD card, then turn on the camera. The #3 would blink 30 times, then shut down automatically. Put the SD card back in, power up, and see if it works. Well, worth a try at least.

Already tried that. It used to work on one of my old #3's but not on the #11.

Anyways, before I bricked it I recorded a small clip just for testing purposes with the date/time stamp still there. Its only 25MB, so if anyone with greater knowledge wants to have a look or compare it to his own HD cam... maybe it helps identifying the version of the cams.

Finally, I did the dreaded date removal firmware replacement. After I copied the new firmware file to my card, I pushed the ON button and held my breath. After a 4-5 sec. delay, the yellow LED came on I was able to breath again. Success, and it was really an easy update process compared to that needed to remove the date stamp on the old 808 camera.

Tom,

Congratulations on finally getting the cam in your hands and successfully doing the date removal! Mine also arrived, without the date stamp to boot. So it appears that the vendor is a pretty good bunch, do good work and value good customer relations! I am happy. Thanks for all your efforts and I will continue to wade in and see what I find on this wonderful thread from time to time.

I've finished some initial sample clips and tests with my HD key cam, shot indoors with just natural window light, and outdoors in both cloudy (but bright) and full sun. My first impressions of the video are that the contrast and color saturation on mine is slightly over-stated, but I can correct that during editing. The vinetteing in the corners is there, but it's not too bad fortunately. My focus can use a little tweaking, but overall I'm very happy with the video.

Interestingly, the video bit rate in my 4 sample clips ranged from 7111 to 7605 kbps which is a bit higher than clips the vendors furnished. So, I set my average bit rate at 7400 kbps in AviDemux when I compiled and trimmed the clips rather than the 7000 kbps setting I recommended in my AviDemux Tips and Tricks post. So I'd say to check the average data rate on your native videos before re-encoding them, and set AviDemux accordingly. With Windows, just right click on the icon and select "Properties/Details" to show the data rate.

My next test was to check the 20 minute close-and-continue recording function, which work exactly as advertised, and when the battery ran low the last clip closed properly before the camera shut down. The delay between closing/saving one video and starting the next is one is only 3 seconds!

I then checked the web cam function, which also worked well. The video image is reduced to 640x480 for this function, and the white balance is a little off toward the red side on my monitor compared to other web cams I have, but is not too bad. And the extremely sharp image makes up for it. I have less than 1/2 sec. delay in video motion on my computer.

Finally, I did the dreaded date removal firmware replacement. After I copied the new firmware file to my card, I pushed the ON button and held my breath. After a 4-5 sec. delay, the yellow LED came on I was able to breath again. Success, and it was really an easy update process compared to that needed to remove the date stamp on the old 808 camera.

I'll check out the car charger cord tomorrow and maybe refocus if it's a sunny day.

Cool! Looks like the focus is OK?
In numberz the increase from 480p to 720p doesn't sound so much, but looking to your video in full screen, it is certainly a significant step up from the #3 in terms of definition!

Hmm... strange, played around a bit, got my HD to work again to full functionality and could even remove the date/timp stamp. Heres what I did.

After trying to remove the date/time stamp using the adapter I wouldn't get the yellow LED to come on anymore, though the red one was working fine.

I removed the formatted flash card from the cam (the one which I tried to remove the date/time stamp with before) and put it in the adapter. I then copied the "Date On" bin-file "FW96630A.bin" to the root of the flash card with the DCIM folder missing. I removed adapter and flash card and put the card back into the cam. It wouldn't start (no yellow LED).

I connected the cam to the computer via USB. The red LED came on. The cam wasn't recognized as a mass storage device. After about a minute I pressed the POWER button for about five seconds and the yellow LED came on and the cam appeared as a mass storage device with the DCIM folder and the bin-file present. I removed only the bin-file.

I pressed the power button again for about a second and the yellow LED disappeared and the red one appeared. The cam wasn't recognized as a mass storage device anymore. I unplugged the cam so that the red LED was gone.
I then could start the cam normally. Both video and photo were working fine with the date/time stamp present.

I then used losthelis instructions from post #108 to remove the date/time stamp, this time avoiding the adapter and using the solution via direct USB connection (with the DCIM folder still on the flash card and using FW96630A.bin from the "Date Off" folder).
Everything works fine.

Does anyone have the following problems?
Date time does not keep very well, gained 14 days in a week.
Low light situations do not film well.
Stopped taking pics, this one has me scratching the noggin, as I used to have no trouble taking pics.